Eric Boehlert: The press needs to address its DeSantis debacle

[babylonsister]

The press needs to address its DeSantis debacle
Politico, CNN, NYT, WSJ
Eric Boehlert
2 hr ago


As Covid rages on in Florida, turning the Sunshine State not only into a virus epicenter of the United States but of the entire world, news organizations aren’t being honest about the public health crisis under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. They’re not being transparent about how months ago they embraced GOP spin and portrayed the derelict governor as a pandemic star, regurgitating conservative rhetoric about how liberal critics had been proven wrong about DeSantis’ wrong-headed policy decisions, which have since propelled Florida into a grave health crisis.

The state recently broke its one-day record for new Covid cases, topping out at 21,000 which is as many new cases as the entire country of France tabulates each day. Florida now has more than 12,00 (unvaccinated) people occupying hospital beds battling Covid, another grim benchmark under DeSantis. It’s unthinkable that the state has been plunged into public health chaos when a safe vaccine is readily available to all Floridians over the age of 12.

At a time when states are supposed to be emerging from the year-and-a-half pandemic, Florida is shifting into reverse – it recently recorded more coronavirus cases this week than California, Texas, New York and Illinois combined. This all comes 15 months after DeSantis famously, and loudly, declared victory over the pandemic, back when the state was tallying 500 cases a day.

This debacle, and the media’s refusal to be transparent about how badly it managed the DeSantis story, says as much about the state of the Beltway media as it does about this burgeoning Covid chapter.

For an industry that demands transparency and accountability from public officials, the political press is terrible at conceding its mistakes, especially when those blunders are documented by liberals. Programmed to fear charges of liberal media bias, the Beltway press often scrambles to correct supposed failures highlighted by conservatives. Hyper-sensitive to bad-faith, right-wing critiques and eager to make nice with those accusers, journalists uniformly look away when confronted by the left with irrefutable evidence of failure. And boy, did they screw up the DeSantis story.

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https://pressrun.media/p/the-press-needs-to-address-its-desantis

[lark]

1. This Floridian is totally furious!

God how I hate the rw murderers for freedumb in my state (and the country at large too)! I just hope the deaths are concentrated among the drumpfers, they deserve it. The rest of us do not!!!!!!!!!!!!

[babylonsister]

2. I live in FL and am right there with you! nt

[lark]

3. Right now, I'd say, unlucky us!

[BlueJac]

5. I am feeling the same way!

The asshole they call governor here is a fool, fake tough guy!

[lark]

7. He is a freaking murderer, on purpose and for his own political profit.

MURDERER!!!!!

[obamanut2012]

11. This one is, too

And, public schools start next week, and public universities and colleges in two weeks.

[Traildogbob]

18. Just wait

Until late September. When all Florida, Bama, Texas and Tennessee have to start forfeiting ACC and SEC games because not enough players are off of vents. Could be a Blessin, DeSatan will allow those Stadium Petri dishes fill to full capacity. And the Maskholes, anti vaxing idiotic college student, parents, and middle age bubbas dreaming of high school glory days living it out in the cheap seats. Maybe Florida will have to Forfeit their game with Tennessee, (the best hope of a win for Vols). “Damn you Biden. Look what you did, will be DeSatan presser.” Go Vols.
Only football may be Army Navy after mandated Vax. Good luck good people of Florida. We (NC, not me) gave the world Meadows and Cawthorn but thank god we got Cooper, for now.

[Earth-shine]

4. I'm in Delray Beach. We have cancelled all upcoming plans involving restaurants, parties, etc.

The wife and I were supposed to have family from New York visit next week. We asked them to cancel for their own safety. They did.

Ironically, back in January of this year, DeSantis was hot on vaccines. In January, he pretty much personally distributed the vaccines to several retirement communities including The Villages (land of viagra) and Kings Point (where I live). There were photo ops.

Shortly after, it became politically expedient for him to be pro-COVID. And that's where we are at.

I got Moderna seven months ago. I want a booster!

[obamanut2012]

12. Even the Palm Beach Post is starting to criticize DeSantis

And, that's a bit of a fishwrapper.

[CousinIT]

6. The media are allowing deSantis to blame Biden - without any fact-checking or pushback whatsoever.

They CAN fact-check Mr. Death Cult's claims about Biden and the border but they don't. They just play the asshole's finger pointing distraction tactic over and over.

[lark]

9. Our local paper is actually fairly critical, it doesn;t matter.

Working class Jacksonville is not Death Sentence's priority, he doesn't give one shit about us. The 52 billionaires in South/Central FL are his only constituency and he hand delivered the vax to them. He wants to kill the rest of us by making us for work tor these cretins so they can profit. It's always about the rich profiting, and if he can kill the working class/poor that helps the rich even more by the government keeping the SS $$ so rich can continue not to pay taxes.

[obamanut2012]

13. He also doesn't care about anyone in PBC, Broward, and Miami-Dade

Except for Jupiter, the Cuban-Americans in MD, and some of the oligarchs (and Roger Stone) in Broward.

[GulfCoast66]

21. The Orlando paper has been very damning to him.

They certainly are not downplaying the situation we find ourselves. Nor covering how local leaders hands are tied.

[Mad_Machine76]

25. EVEN IF DeSantis was right about immigrants (he isn't)

He is actively pursuing ANTI-mitigation public health strategies that are exacerbating the problem. At what point is liable for criminal recklessness and neglect? Now he’s talking about vouchers for children to go maskless?!

[dalton99a]

8. They worship that goddamn thug

[AZ8theist]

10. RON DEATH SENTENCE....

IS A SOCIOPATHIC, HOMICIDAL KILLER.

That's the ONLY way he should be described.

[lame54]

17. TheStandtis

[The Unmitigated Gall]

20. The puketard Walkin' Dude...

[Fla Dem]

14. NE Fla. Couple of weeks ago, no one wearing masks in stores. Now I'd say it's 40-50%.

Some folks , including me are taking this surge in cases seriously, while the stupid governor thinks it all a big farce he can politicize to enhance his standing with the far right idiots..

Many of the major stores are encouraging their ee's to wear masks.

[GulfCoast66]

22. Here in South Lake it is more like 80% or more.

But that’s just at my Publix. Can’t speak for others.

And those without mask seem to shop looking pissed off.

I was in the Fresh Market in Orlando a few day ago and it was over 90%. But it’s in the bluest part of a blue city.

I think Disney requiring vaccinations for continued employment plus the fact we have record hospitalizations is really shaking people up.

We are not 80% Democratic in my part of the county. Not even the majority. Which means lots of republicans are wearing masks again.

[NoMoreRepugs]

15. Media across the country have seldom held r's to the same standards of performance as Democrats IMO.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

26. I agree with you. The media outlets are all owned by a very few oligarchs.

They make the decisions on how the spin should roll. According to their personal interests.

[world wide wally]

16. I don't want to say the the people in Florida are stupid, but....

The people in Florida are stupid.

[GulfCoast66]

23. Really? You live here? There are stupid people everywhere.

Was everyone in Colorado stupid 15 years ago when they were electing republicans?

In my kind of purple but reddish part of the state masks are back.

And our Governors approval has crashed. He is failing at his most important job. Keeping us safe.

Like all states the urban areas are blue. But we are cursed with 2 things that keep us Republican by a small majority. The Panhandle which is essentially South Georgia and Alabama. But even worse a continued stream of old white people retiring here from mainly the Midwest. They are replaced faster than they die. And they all vote Republican. We don’t get the influx of young, educated tech workers like Atlanta does. We get old racist from the Midwest.

[Blaukraut]

19. They can't. He's their chosen one for '24. n/t

[mcar]

24. This is spot on!

When TF is the media going to stop fawning over Republicans?